Board members

Elizabeth is a seasoned director across both the public and private sectors. She was appointed to the Ochre board in 2021 and rejoined the company in 2024, taking on the role of Chair. Elizabeth is the Chair of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, the Customer Owned Banking Association, Hearing Australia and Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese. She is the Emerita Deputy Chancellor of Macquarie University and she sits on the boards of ASX-listed company ReadyTech, the NSW Institute of Sport, Health Infrastructure and Hunter Water. Elizabeth has held several previous Non-Executive Director roles including on the boards of Bingo Industries, Macquarie University Hospital and Chandler Macleod. She is the former Chair of RailCorp and a former Trustee of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. Elizabeth spent 16 years with the Federal Government before moving into the private sector. A respected executive coach and moderator, Elizabeth is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and she holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Masters of Cyber Security. In 2019, she was awarded the Order of Australia for services to higher education and the rail transport sector.

Ross is a co-founding owner and former Chair of the Ochre Health Group. He brings 30 years of clinical and medical management experience to the company, including 10 years as a GP Anaesthetist in rural and remote Australian communities. Prior to founding Ochre in 2002, his clinical roles included Medical Superintendent of Palm Island Hospital and Deputy Director of Medical Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital. Ross is actively involved in medical education as a voluntary Director of Advanced Paediatric Life Support Australia, whose courses aim to improve the early management of acutely ill and injured children. He is a Director of Tasmanian Leaders Inc, the premier leadership development organisation in the state, and a former Director of the NSW Rural Doctors Network, General Practice Training Tasmania and other not-for-profit organisations. He has also been a member of the Rural and Remote Generalist Project Advisory Group to Health Workforce Australia (HWA), the Commonwealth authority delivering a coordinated national approach to health workforce reform. Ross works closely with our board and leadership team on strategic direction, growth opportunities, board governance and management performance.

Hamish is a co-founding owner and Director of the Ochre Health Group. He is a New Zealand medical graduate with extensive experience across General Practice, Emergency Medicine and Obstetrics. He worked in the NSW Outback town of Bourke for five years as a GP Obstetrician, founding Ochre Health there with Dr Ross Lamplugh in 2002, before moving to Sydney in 2006. Hamish was Ochre’s Director of Medical Services until 2020, responsible for leading clinical governance, quality improvement and the company’s patient health outcomes program. In addition to his current board role, he is involved in providing clinical support for doctors across the Group and he chairs our Innovation Committee, focusing on developing and implementing innovations that improve patient care and practice operations as well as advancing the company’s market leadership in general practice. He is also a regular author, commentator and conference presenter on issues affecting the primary care sector, and he is an examiner for the RACGP Fellowship examination program.

Michele Smith OAM is an accomplished health executive and Registered Nurse who has spent 37 years working in the health sector. She is an experienced consultant, CEO, Certified Chair™, Aged Care Certified Chair™, Non-Executive Director and Certified Health Executive. Her expertise in strategic governance is demonstrated by her tenure as Governing Board Chair for the Eyre and Far North Local Health Network and, until recently, as CEO of the North Eastern Community Hospital. Michele’s leadership in these positions has highlighted her ability to navigate complex health systems, drive organisational transformation and deliver high quality healthcare services. They culminated in her receiving the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2023 for services to medical administration. Her leadership style is marked by authenticity and a pragmatic and collaborative approach, ensuring sustainable, community-centric outcomes in complex healthcare and public policy environments.

Dermot joined the Ochre Health Group as CEO in November 2016 and he was appointed Executive Director in May 2021. He has extensive experience in leading healthcare businesses, including having held a number of executive management roles with Medibank Health Solutions across a range of telehealth and traditional face-to-face clinic businesses. Dermot thrives on building strong teams and balancing the operational, clinical, commercial and cultural aspects of leading growth-orientated businesses. He has championed “The Ochre Way”, the Group’s management framework which articulates our Purpose, Vision and Values, as well as providing a roadmap for successful operations and delivering on our core Purpose of “Improving the health of our communities”. As a people person, Dermot always prioritises the experience we deliver to our key stakeholders groups – the independent doctors we support, their patients and our team members. Dermot is a Chartered Accountant with an MBA. Prior to his Medibank roles, he held executive leadership positions in the ASX-listed environments of Salmat and PMP.